President Europese Rekenkamer presenteert werkprogramma 2009 aan budgetcommissie EP (en)

President Vítor Caldeira presents the ECA’s 2009 work programme to the Committee on Budgetary Control of the European Parliament

ECA President Vítor Caldeira will today present the ECA’s 2009 work programme to the Committee on Budgetary Control (COCOBU) of the European Parliament at its meeting in Brussels.

Mr. Caldeira says:

“As the independent audit institution of the EU, the Court of Auditors has a unique role to play in contributing to the improvement of the EU’s financial management and to promoting accountability and transparency. It does this through the audit services it renders and the example it sets.

I believe this role is particularly important in the context of an EU of 27 Members States that faces global challenges, such as dealing with the current financial crisis, creating jobs and growth, combating climate change and achieving sustainability. These challenges are putting pressure on public finances everywhere. And they will require the EU to mobilise its resources and to spend them wisely on behalf of its citizens and taxpayers.

This reinforces, more than ever, the need for an efficient and effective audit function for the EU.

We are ready to take on that challenge again in 2009, not only by doing more, but also by doing it better."

The Court's 2009 work programme builds on its Audit Strategy for the period 2009 to 2012. The Court’s strategy is designed around two priority goals: maximising the overall impact of its audits; and increasing efficiency by making best use of resources.

For the period 2009-2012, the Court has identified a number of audit themes related to policy developments and management issues. As regards EU policy developments, the following have been identified: growth and jobs; climate change and sustainable Europe; Europe as world partner; and better regulation.

The Court is currently preparing its annual reports concerning the 2008 financial year. As previously, the Court’s work covers three major fields: the EU’s general budget, the European Development Funds and the EU’s agencies and other bodies. As regards other audit tasks to be concluded during 2009, the Court intends to publish a number of special reports on several policy areas.

Furthermore, the Court will widen the range of its audit-based products from 2009 to 2012. For example, the Court envisages developing a dedicated follow-up report in 2009 to provide greater focus on the action taken on previous performance audit recommendations. The Court also intends to produce a report in 2009 identifying high-risk areas with respect to the financial management of EU funds.

In addition, the Court will consolidate and improve on the presentation of its annual activity report, which was published for the first time in 2008.

The Court will also endeavour to address the observations and recommendations set out in the “International peer review report on the European Court of Auditors", published in December 2008. "The European Court of Auditors is fulfilling its obligations under the Treaty in a professional manner that stands comparison with other audit bodies around the world", Mr. Caldeira says.

To read Mr. Caldeira’s speech, please see:

http://eca.europa.eu/products/ECA0913

To find out more about the ECA’s 2009 work programme, please see:

http://eca.europa.eu/products/WP2009

To find out more about the ECA’s 2009-2012 audit strategy, please see:

http://eca.europa.eu/products/ECA0914

To find out more about the “International peer review report on the European Court of Auditors", please see:

http://eca.europa.eu/products/PeerReview

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